Carole King Joins Reps. Maloney and Shays in Support of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act

Washington, D.C. -- Today, music legend Carole King joined Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) in announcing the introduction of the bipartisan Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA, H.R. 1975).  NREPA, which has been cosponsored by 73 other Members of Congress, will protect some of America's most beautiful and ecologically important lands while saving taxpayers money and creating jobs.
The Northern Rockies is the only place in the lower 48 states where native species and wildlife are protected on lands that are virtually unchanged since Lewis and Clark saw them.  This is public land belonging to all Americans.  NREPA designates 23 million acres in the Northern Rockies as wilderness, the strongest protection the federal government can confer on public lands.  NREPA does not affect private land.
 
"Many of America's most precious natural resources and wildlife are found in the Northern Rockies," said Rep. Maloney.  "NREPA has always been ahead of its time by drawing wilderness boundaries according to science, not politics.  NREPA would also help mitigate the effects of global warming by protecting the corridors through which vulnerable wildlife can migrate to cooler areas."
 
Rep. Shays added, "The Northern Rocky Mountains are one of America's great wilderness preserves--a living treasure, and home to a critical component of the continent's ecosystem. It is imperative we preserve and protect our environment.  We simply will not have a world to live in if we continue our neglectful ways."
 
"The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act protects public land owned by all Americans, saves taxpayers money and benefits local communities economically.  Its time has come," stated Carole King.
 
"Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman Shays are to be commended for taking the lead on clean national-interest legislation that benefits the entire country," said Steve Kelly, of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies.
 
Grizzly bears, caribou, elk, bison, wolves, bull trout and salmon still thrive in the Northern Rockies.  The bill seeks to safeguard both these species and the lands on which they live. 
 
NREPA would save taxpayers $245 million over a ten-year period by managing the land as wilderness.  Additionally, more than 2,300 jobs would be created in the region through NREPA's program to restore Northern Rockies habitats to their natural state.
 
The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act:
 
*          Designates as wilderness more than 23 million acres of ecosystems and watersheds in the Northern Rockies;      
 
*          Connects natural, biological corridors, ensuring the continued existence of native plants and animals and mitigating the effects of global warming;
 
*          Restores habitat that has been severely damaged from roads that were built, creating more than 2,300 jobs and leading to a more sustainable economic base in the region;
 
*          Keeps water available for ranchers and farmers downstream until it is most needed; and
 
*          Eliminates subsidized development in the designated wilderness areas, saving taxpayers $245 million over a 10-year period.
 
NREPA has 73 original cosponsors: Representatives Shays, Rahall, Grijalva, Ackerman, Tom Allen, Andrews, Baird, Berman, Blumenauer, Boswell, Corrine Brown, Capps, Castle, Chandler, Christensen, Clay, Cleaver, Conyers, Costa, Crowley, Cummings, DeLauro, Dingell, Doyle, Engel, Eshoo, Farr, Fattah, Frank, Gilchrest, Gonzalez, Harman, Alcee Hastings, Higgins, Hinchey, Hinojosa, Holt, Hooley, Inslee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Kennedy , Kildee, Kind, Kucinich, Langevin, Lantos, Markey, McCarthy, McCollum, McDermott, George Miller, Dennis Moore, Jim Moran, Nadler, Napolitano, Olver, Pallone, Roybal-Allard, Rush, Schakowsky, Serrano, Slaughter, Solis, Stark, Tanner, Mike Thompson, Towns, Van Hollen, Walsh, Wasserman Schultz, Watson, Wexler, and Wu.